Black Barbie Doll Portrayed As Highly Sexualized

Kelly Motzko didn’t set out to court controversy when she entered a Target to find a gift for a four-year-old girl. Naturally she found herself in the toy aisle but she was not at all pleased by what she encountered. Among the many Barbies of various races in that toy aisle, there was a black Barbie that stood out for all the wrong reasons.

Her dress was cut down the front to accentuate her noticeable cleavage. According to Motzko, a St. Paul, Minn.-based behavioral specialist, there were Barbies of other ethnicities on the aisle but the African-American Barbie was the only one that appeared highly sexualized.

“The only Barbie wearing such revealing clothing was the black Barbie,” says Motzko, who is white. “I found that upsetting. I was offended. It was just an offensive thing for the Barbie to be dressed like that [in the first place] and, then to be the only one of that skin color, I found that offensive.”